Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

More Crime & Courts Stories»

FBI Busts Low-Tech Celebrity Hacker

He guessed passwords, leaked photos of Scarlett Johansson, others: FBI

By John Johnson, Newser Staff

Posted Oct 12, 2011 11:55 AM CDT | Updated Oct 12, 2011 5:59 PM CDT

(Newser) – The FBI has arrested a suspect accused of hacking the emails of Scarlett Johansson and other celebrities and leaking personal—sometimes nude—photos, reports the Los Angeles Times. The feds say Christopher Chaney, 35, didn't have a sophisticated tech scheme. Rather, he pored over public info available in magazines, on Facebook, etc., and used it to guess passwords. Other celebrities reportedly victimized include Mila Kunis, Vanessa Hudgens, and Christina Aguilera.

The Jacksonville, Florida, man did not make money from leaking the photos, according to the FBI. He apparently did it for kicks. Chaney, who faces 121 years if convicted of all the various hacking charges, pleaded guilty to mail fraud in 1998, reports TMZ. That crime involved a scheme to steal life insurance money by pretending to be a policy holder with a similar name.

Scarlett Johansson arrives at the 83rd Academy Awards in February. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

Actress Vanessa Hudgens: Her email also got hacked. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Actress Jessica Alba says she was a victim. (AP Photo/Jason Redmond)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

CLICK BELOW TO VOTE

29%

11%

41%

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

Getty Images

Man Goes to Hospital For Kidney Stone...Leaves a Woman (Huff Post)

Is Chase Crawford Dating a Cougar? (Bleacher Report)

My Boss Walked in on Me Touching Myself, Now He Won't Stop Flirting (Slate)

7 Gross Celebrity Items Sold at Auction (The Week)

The Lowest-Rated Show on TV Is Actually Awesome (Slate)

Partner Links

Sponsor Links

A snapshot of the day's best news stories.

View Larger Grid

All Today Yesterday Pick a Date

COMMENTS

Read the comment policy

Showing 3 of 12 comments

msftchic

Oct 13, 2011 8:41 AM CDT

ah, the federal crimes boys will commit, all in the name of beating off. hope it was worth the 5 min. ;)

Rembrandt_Q_Einstein

Oct 12, 2011 11:42 PM CDT

Finally, our long national nightmare is over. You can rest easy America the FBI has caught their man.

July

Oct 12, 2011 8:54 PM CDT

Another one of those who gives a *F* celeb stories. Now look what the dude is facing if convicted? Really? Now if that were you or me, a good slap on the hand would be it! Twisted or what? As if celebs safety is greater than our own? I don't watch tv or go to movies anymore. Nude pics, so what! As long as minors weren't involved. Get over yourselves celebs. Don't think for a moment your "beans n tatars" couldn't come to an end the way the economy is!

What's Popular Now on Facebook

Japanese Artist Serves Up Own Cooked Genitals

Rape Conviction Cleared, Thanks to Facebook

TMZ (Source Grid »)
Los Angeles Times (Source Grid »)

Crime & Courts • Celebrity

hacker • Scarlett Johansson • hackers • nude photo • email hacking

More Newser Stories

ScarJo Hacker Pleads Guilty

Christopher Chaney also hacked Christina Aguilera, Mila Kunis

(NEWSER) - The man responsible for bringing naked photos of Scarlett Johansson to the World Wide Web has pleaded guilty to nine felonies, including unauthorized access to a computer and wiretapping, reports TMZ . Christopher Chaney, 35, also accessed email accounts belonging to Mila Kunis and Christina Aguilera, and had forwarded other, less racy photos of celebrities to two gossip sites, notes the AP . Chaney was immediately taken into custody and will be sentenced in July. More»

Celeb Hacker 'Deeply' Sorry: 'It Eats at Me'

Christopher Chaney says snooping became uncontrollable

(NEWSER) - The man arrested by the FBI for Hollywood hacking has offered a lengthy apology for what he calls an "addiction" he couldn't control. "I deeply apologize," Christopher Chaney told a CNN affiliate. "I know what I did was probably one of the worst invasions of privacy someone could experience. These people don't have privacy to begin with. And I was in that little sliver of privacy they do have." More»

LulzSec Leader Was Really, Really Eager to Help FBI

'Sabu' readily joined feds, pulled all- nighters for them

(NEWSER) - LulzSec leader Sabu didn't need to be asked twice to partner with the FBI. When the feds arrested him last June, Hector Xavier Monsegur immediately agreed to work for them, court papers show. He pulled all-nighters to help the government track down fellow top members of hacking groups LulzSec and Anonymous . "Since literally the day he was arrested, the defendant has been cooperating with the government proactively," a US attorney told a Manhattan federal court. More»

Anonymous Could Shutter Power Grid: NSA Honcho

Ability to launch attack is still a few years off, though

(NEWSER) - Hacking collective Anonymous has taken on the FBI and the CIA , among others—and soon the group could be making its presence known in your living room. The National Security Agency director warns that within the next one to two years, Anonymous could launch a cyberattack that results in a limited power outage, the Wall Street Journal reports. Gen. Keith Alexander did not air his concerns in public, but in private meetings including some at the White House, sources say. Other officials are similarly concerned, but some think the possibility is more like three to five years off. More»

Hacker Steals $500K From NYC Socialite

Cyber-thief got into her email, impersonated her

(NEWSER) - A billionaire Manhattan socialite got swindled out of about $550,000 last week after a hacker broke into her email account, reports the New York Post . The online bandit got access to personal information about Candia Fisher, a member of the Fisher Brothers real estate clan, and used it to impersonate her and have cash wired to banks in Australia. Fisher, 64, was especially vulnerable because she does almost all of her business via email, notes the Post. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

FBI Busts Low-Tech Celebrity Hacker

He guessed passwords, leaked photos of Scarlett Johansson, others: FBI

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

hacker • Scarlett Johansson • hackers • nude photo • email hacking

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

ScarJo Hacker Pleads Guilty

Christopher Chaney also hacked Christina Aguilera, Mila Kunis

Celeb Hacker 'Deeply' Sorry: 'It Eats at Me'

Christopher Chaney says snooping became uncontrollable

LulzSec Leader Was Really, Really Eager to Help FBI

'Sabu' readily joined feds, pulled all- nighters for them

Anonymous Could Shutter Power Grid: NSA Honcho

Ability to launch attack is still a few years off, though

Hacker Steals $500K From NYC Socialite

Cyber-thief got into her email, impersonated her

About Us

Site

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?